Former board members of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Olympians Michael Wenden and Peter Montgomery, have been honoured for decades of distinguished service to the Olympic movement.

Both Wenden and Montgomery have been awarded life membership of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).

The two Olympians have enjoyed long, distinguished and successful careers in Australian sport. Wenden competed at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico and in 1972 in Munich, winning a total of four medals in swimming (two gold, a silver and a bronze). Montgomery competed at four Olympics in water polo: Munich in 1972, Montreal in 1976, Moscow in 1980, and Los Angeles in 1984 as captain of the Australian team.

Both have devoted more than 20 years services to Australian sport as members of the AOC Executive.

Wenden and Montgomery were members of the AOC Executive responsible for the planning and preparation of Australia’s Olympic Teams in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 which won a record number of medals.

Wenden worked in team administration at the Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, and was an Assistant Chef de Mission at the Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Montgomery was elected Chairman of the first AOC Athletes Commission in 1984 and became an AOC Executive Board member in his own right in 1990. He has been an AOC Vice-President since 2001 and has been re-elected until 2013. He became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes Commission in 1988, resigning in 1999 in order to clear the way for the election of another Australian (Susie O’Neill) at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Wenden served as a member of the ASC Board from 1987–92 and on the AIS Board from 1983–89. Montgomery was a member of the ASC Board from 1987–89 and on the AIS Board from 1985–89.

AOC President John Coates acknowledged both men’s contribution to the Olympic movement:

‘After their sporting careers ended Michael and Peter devoted much of their time to the Olympic movement, they were appointed to senior administrative positions with Australian Olympic teams and played key roles in the decision-making processes of the AOC at the boardroom level.

‘They have both been extremely committed to the movement and more importantly they have worked tirelessly on behalf of the Olympic athletes who have followed them over the past twenty years,’ Coates said.